What are plasma protein products?
Plasma protein products are blood products that are made from the plasma taken from the blood of many donors. The plasma is mixed and then separated into different parts.
Plasma protein products are treated with heat or chemicals to kill viruses in the blood that cause diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
There are three main types of plasma protein products your child may get:
- albumin
- clotting factor concentrates
- immune globulins
Albumin
Albumin expands the volume of the blood. Your child may get a transfusion of albumin if they:
- were burned
- have liver disease
- had surgery on their heart
- need to have a plasma exchange; in plasma exchange, a patient’s plasma that contains harmful substances is removed and replaced with donor plasma or albumin.
Clotting factor concentrates
Clotting factor concentrates are used to prevent or control bleeding. If your child does not have enough clotting factors in their blood, they may get a transfusion of factor concentrates. Factor concentrates your child may get include:
- Factor VIII, Factor IX, Factor VIIa, and Factor XIII; these are made in a lab. They are called recombinant factors and are not made from donor plasma.
- Factor XIII (human-derived)
- von Willebrand Factor
- anti-thrombin III
Immune globulins
Immune globulins contain antibodies that are used to fight infections and treat some medical conditions. These include:
- Intramuscular immune globulin
- Varicella-zoster immune globulin
- Hepatitis B immune globulin
- Tetanus immune globulin
- Intravenous immunoglobulin
- Cytomegalovirus immune globulin
- Rh immune globulin
Intramuscular immune globulin is given to stop someone from getting hepatitis A and measles for a short time. Hepatitis A is an infection of the liver. Measles is an infection that causes red spots on the skin.
Varicella-zoster immune globulin is used to prevent chickenpox or make it less severe after contact with someone who has chickenpox. Chickenpox causes a rash and blisters on the skin in healthy children. But chickenpox may be severe in someone who has a weakened immune system.
Hepatitis B immune globulin is used to prevent infection with the hepatitis B virus or make the infection less severe after contact with someone with the hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver.
Tetanus immune globulin is used to prevent tetanus or make it less severe. Tetanus is a disease that causes muscles to cramp and get tight and stiff. It may be severe enough to cause death in some cases.
Intravenous immunoglobulin is used to treat people who do not have enough antibodies to fight infection. Intravenous gamma globulins are also used to treat certain diseases caused by antibodies such as immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and Kawasaki disease.
People with ITP make antibodies that destroy their own platelets. Treatment with intravenous immune globulin slows this process.
Kawasaki disease is a childhood illness. People with Kawasaki disease have a fever, rash and swollen glands in the neck. Treatment with intravenous immune globulin prevents the damage to the heart that Kawasaki disease sometimes causes.
For more information about Intravenous immune globulin, see the article Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG).
Cytomegalovirus immune globulin is used to prevent or treat an infection caused by a virus called cytomegalovirus (CMV). Cytomegalovirus may make people with weakened immune systems very sick.
Rh immune globulin is used to prevent people who are Rh negative from making Rh antibodies when they come in contact with Rh positive blood. For example, this contact can happen during pregnancy or a blood transfusion.
About 15% of people are Rh negative. This means they do not have the Rhesus factor (Rh factor) in their red blood cells. People who do not have the Rh factor are called Rh negative. Rh immune globulin may also be given to children who are Rh negative to prevent them from forming Rh antibodies after they have had a blood transfusion with blood that is Rh positive.
Rh immune globulin may also be used to increase the number of platelets in children who are Rh positive and have ITP. People with ITP make antibodies that destroy their own platelets.
Blood products and live virus vaccines
Some blood products may temporarily interfere with the immune response to live virus vaccines. Please discuss these blood products and the timing of upcoming live virus vaccines with your child’s vaccine provider.
For more information
Talk to your child's doctor about any specific questions you have about your child's care and the need for a blood product transfusion.
For information about blood component transfusions, see the article Blood component transfusions: What you need to know.